Winning Starts Monday
Player stats give Daley a running start for Origin
Brad Walter NSW coach Laurie Daley is set to enter the State of Origin series with his players in better form than their Queensland counterparts.
Rugby league
Blues keep Maroons guessing about team
Brad Walter QUEENSLAND coach Mal Meninga and his players remain unsure of the make-up of the NSW team for tonight's opening Origin match at Etihad Stadium, with the Blues yet to officially announce a line-up.
Analyst blows whistle on Maroons' dirty play
Brad Walter AN INDEPENDENT analyst engaged by NSW officials to review Origin I has found that Queensland were able to get away with 10 incidents that warranted penalties, while match officials missed just one...
League
Kiwis hit out at Origin coaches as Kasiano nears Maroons switch
Brad Walter SAM KASIANO'S likely Origin selection has sparked a scathing attack on rival NSW and Queensland coaches Ricky Stuart and Mal Meninga from leading New Zealand official Tony Kemp.
Kasiano would be ruled out for Maroons under rule change
Brad Walter CANTERBURY star Sam Kasiano will be unable to play for Queensland under a new State of Origin eligibility rule even if the New Zealand-born prop pledges his international allegiance to Australia...
Winning Starts Monday
Culture of Maroons loyalty is based on a winning formula
Brad Walter It took just 12 minutes after the NSW team was announced for Origin I before Blues coach Ricky Stuart was asked if he would stick with the latest batch of players regardless of the result at Etihad...
League
Size matters as Daley sorts out Blues
Brad Walter NSW coach Laurie Daley must resolve the dilemma of whether to match the size of Queensland's forwards by picking four props or opting for more mobile back-rowers as he attempts to finalise his team...
Winning Starts Monday
Pearce is obvious choice for Daley
Brad Walter There can be no more compelling reason for new Blues coach Laurie Daley to stick with Mitchell Pearce at halfback than the damage he risks to two State of Origin careers by choosing Adam Reynolds for...
League
ARLC Origin switch order gives Blues home advantage
Brad Walter ANZ STADIUM will host two State of Origin matches next season after a decision to reverse the order and switch a game from Brisbane to Sydney.
ARLC won't be 'bullied' into making decisions
Brad Walter ARL Commission chairman John Grant believes the organisation has demonstrated in the nine months since its formation the benefits of having an independent body control the game.
League
NSW may change policy on Blues coach
Brad Walter NSW is set to appoint a non-NRL coach next season, with Canterbury's Des Hasler yesterday ruling himself out and Parramatta officials not expecting Ricky Stuart to change his mind.
Fullback uses Hannant's sledge for motivation
Brad Walter AFTER cutting down giant Brisbane forward Ben Hannant in one of two try-saving tackles he made yesterday, Canterbury fullback Ben Barba revealed that he had been motivated by the prop declaring,...
Parra could get pick of Origin bunch
Brad Walter NSWRL directors still consider Ricky Stuart the best candidate to coach the Blues next season and by allowing him to do the job Parramatta will improve their chances of recruiting the Origin halves...
Stuart dares to dream … only just
Brad Walter ''The door just needs one more kick before it is shut. It ain't far away.''
State of Origin
'Unfinished business' set to keep Ricky with Blues
Brad Walter AFTER coming within one point of stopping Queensland from a seventh consecutive series win, NSW coach Ricky Stuart was last night asked if he had ''unfinished business'' in the job.
Junior Stuart sticks with dad to run Blues
Brad Walter It's not just NSW players and officials who want Ricky Stuart to stay on as coach - his son Jackson is also keen for the 45-year-old former premiership winning player and coach to do the job again.
League
Grand final Sin Bin: Will ARLC keep faith with pre-match shows?
Brad Walter Bon Jovi's association with the NRL may have ended with the grand final as Sin Bin understands officials are considering heading in a new direction next year.
Winning Starts Monday
Boys in Blue: NSW go old school in search of Origin success
Brad Walter A lock who was sentenced to jail, a five-eighth who has been warned that he faces jail, a captain who a Herald columnist once wrote should be in jail and a fullback who spent 18 months fighting...
League
Carney's blunders let Qld off the hook
Brad Walter It wasn't the Origin debut Todd Carney had hoped for but NSW coach Ricky Stuart could be satisfied with the performance of his new-look Blues side.
Coach can be satisfied with everything but the result
Brad Walter It wasn't the Origin debut Todd Carney was after but NSW coach Ricky Stuart could be satisfied with the performance of his new-look Blues side.
